Biden ‘Forever Chemicals’ Ban Targets Cookware, Carpet, Couches

December 13, 2021

Read the full article from Bobby Magill (Bloomberg Law)

"The White House’s ban on federal purchasing of PFAS-containing products will focus on cookware, carpets and couches, according to the Office of Management and Budget’s memo implementing President Biden’s sustainability executive order.

At least one environmental group opposed to broad uses of per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) said it found the administration’s move encouraging. Some PFAS have been linked to cancer, liver damage, and other health effects.

The Wednesday order and a related federal sustainability plan call for the government to reach net-zero emissions to address climate change by 2050 and for federal agencies to prioritize sustainable procurement. The OMB memo says that means avoiding purchasing items that contain PFAS.

The memo says “agencies should prioritize substitutes” for PFAS-containing products and to the “maximum extent practicable” avoid buying products containing a small subset of those substances outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021.

The act bars the Defense Department from buying cookware and stain-resistant upholstered furniture and carpets containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) beginning in April 2023."